1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to MEMS devices, and in particular to movable micromirrors and micromirror arrays for direct-view and projection displays. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,835,256 and 6,046,840 to Huibers, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/617,419 to Huibers et al., the subject matter of each being incorporated herein by reference, disclose micro-electromechanical devices (MEMS) for steering light beams, such as in an optical switch, and/or for forming a display (e.g. a projection display). A common feature is a mirror element which is movable so as to deflect light through different angles, depending upon the mirror element's tilt angle. In one type of conventional direct view or projection display system, an array of reflective mirror elements are provided for producing an image.
2. Summary of the Invention
In the present invention, MEMS devices are provided that are capable of movement due to a flexible portion formed of a transition metal nitride. The MEMS devices can be any device, such as accelerometers, DC relay and RF switches, optical cross connects and optical switches, microlenses, reflectors and beam splitters, filters, oscillators and antenna system components, variable capacitors and inductors, switched banks of filters, resonant comb-drives and resonant beams, and micromirror arrays for direct view and projection displays. The flexible portion (e.g. the hinge of the mirror in the MEMS example herein) is preferably formed by sputtering a metal target in nitrogen ambient so as to result in a sputtered transition metal nitride hinge. It is also possible to form other parts of the MEMS device (e.g. structural parts that do not flex) out of the transition metal nitride.